Sword Art Online - Volume 9 - Alicization Beginning Read online

  Where does the big tide from such a virtual world sweep to the real world —— even though it is the current social situation, but with something that could accelerate the consciousness like the Soul Translator, what kind of the world would it be like? As Shino felt the chill on her back, Asuna, who frowned as she was thinking about the same thing, started muttering as she sighed,

  “A long dream……hmm……”

  She then raised her eyes toward Kazuto across the table and gave a faint smile.

  “It’d be great if the Soul Translator was commercialized before the SAO incident…… I wondered if I should think like this. If the interface hardware wasn’t Nerve Gear but STL, then Aincrad would have had like a thousand floors, and clearing it would take about twenty years.”

  “G……Give me a break.”

  Watching Kazuto tremble as he shook his head made Asuna smile again, then she continued asking,

  “Then, this weekend, Kirito-kun will be seeing a continuous long dream, right?”

  “Yeah. It’d be a long continuous operation testing. I’ll be Diving three days straight without eating nor drinking. I think I’d get a bit thinner……”

  “It’s not a bit at all― Really… this work is too much.”

  Asuna made a cute angry face as she folded her arms in front of her chest.

  “Tomorrow I’ll go make food at Kawagoe! I need to ask Suguha-chan to buy a lot of vegetables too.”

  “T-That’s very nice of you.”

  As Shino was smiling while watching the two, she suddenly thought of a question, and started speaking,

  “Hey…… this means, your three day long Dive is done under that thought accelerated function, right? Do you know how much time you actually feel inside?”

  “Hmm, as I explained earlier, the memory inside was restricted…… But, I heard that the maximum rate of the current FLA function is three times……”

  “That means…… nine days?”

  “Or maybe ten days.”

  “Hmmm…… I wonder what you have been doing in a world like that. The memories can’t be taken out, but how about taking the real world memories into it? Are there any other testers?”

  “No― about something like that, I don’t think so. As the background knowledge would affect the test results. Also, it could block the memories during the Dive, so restricting the existing memories shouldn’t be difficult…… Anyway, the building in Roppongi that I work at has only one STL experimental machine, so the one Diving was just me. And I know almost nothing about the «Inside», it’s not enough to become a Beater and mess with the test results. But the only thing I could tell is the code name of the virtual world used in the experiment.”

  “Heh…what is it?”

  “«Underworld»”

  “Under…… the underground world? I wonder if it’s how that VR world was designed.”

  “Its design is unknown whether from reality, fantasy, or SF settings. But, based on the name, I have a feeling that it’d be a gloomy underground……”

  “Hmmm. So we can’t pinpoint it.”

  As Shino and Kazuto shook their heads together, Asuna touched her delicate chin with her finger as she muttered in a low voice,

  “Perhaps…… that came from Alice too.”

  “Alice……?”

  “It makes sense since RATH’s name is also taken from [Alice in Wonderland]. The first private edition of that book is [Alice’s Adventures Under Ground].”

  “Heh… this is the first time I heard that. If this is true, it’s somehow… like a fairy tale company.”

  Shino gave a little smile as she continued,

  “Speaking of which, about the Alice books, there are two books with stories about the long dreams. ……Perhaps during Kirito’s Dive, it could be possible that he had a tea party with the rabbit or played chess with the queen.”

  Asuna who heard that giggling in an amused manner. But the person in question, Kazuto, stared at a single spot on the table while making a difficult face.”

  “……What’s wrong?”

  “……No……”

  Shino’s voice brought his gaze upward, while still frowned, he blinked repeatedly in irritation.

  “Just now, when I heard Alice…… I felt like I could remember something…… Like, there are times, when you felt something funny or disturbing until just now, but no matter how you think about it, you couldn’t recall what it was, it’s the kind of anxious feeling.”

  “Ah, yeah. Like waking up from a scary dream but not remembering the contents of the dream.”

  “Something…… Just now I felt that I had forgotten something bad……”

  Asuna asked as she was worriedly looked at Kazuto, who was messing up his hair,

  “That is, perhaps, the memories during the experiment……?”

  “But… didn’t you say all memories of the virtual world were removed?”

  As Shino said that after Asuna. Kazuto groaned with his eyes still closed, before lowering his shoulders.

  “……Well, it’s ten days worth of memories anyway. It’s possible that there might be pieces which had escaped the blocking……”

  “Oh yes, if we think about it that way, if the memories actually remained, it would mean you’re getting older than us, in the mind. That’s somehow…… scary.”

  “For me, I’d be a little…… happy, it’s like the gap would become narrower.”

  Asuna said so, as she was a year older, Kazuto responded as he gave a weak smile,

  “Come to think of it, in the period between yesterday’s Dive and today’s class, I felt a strange discomfort. It was like it had been a very long time since seeing the town, or the TV shows. The classmates too…… ‘who’s that guy again?’ Something like that……”

  “Don’t exaggerate, it’s just ten days.”

  “I agree― It’s not something to worry about.”

  Shino and Asuna frowned at Kazuto’s words.

  “Kirito-kun, you should quit that unreasonable experiment. It really puts too much burden on your body.”

  “Ah, if the long continuous operation testing had succeeded, it means the top part of the fundamental design problem is all clear. The next stage is to shape up the machine for implementation, but I wonder how many years it would take to place that enormous size into the commercial basis…… I also can’t do this part-time job much longer, as the final test is starting next month.”

  “Uu……”

  At Kazuto’s words, Shino made a grim face once more.

  “Hey, don’t remind me of something like that. You guys have it easy, there’re almost no paper tests anymore. Mine are still using the mark sheet system, give me a break……”

  “Huhu, then how about doing a study camp together?”

  As she said that, Asuna looked at the wall up behind Shino before saying ‘Wah’ in a low voice.

  “It’s nearly six already, time surely flies while we are chatting.”

  “Then let’s finish this. But I don’t think talking about the main topic would take only five minutes though.”

  As Kazuto gave a bitter smile, Shino also smiled while replying,

  “Well, it’s still a while before the fifth BoB, so let’s decide about the character build and detailed battle tactics after the convert.”

  “Yeah, that works too. But I don’t feel like using anything but a light saber though.”

  “I told you it’s a photon sword.”

  ‘Is that so?’ Kazuto laughed as he grabbed the slip off the table, and started walking toward the counter to treat them with the pay he had received from the seventy-two hours part-time job. Shino and Asuna said ‘Thanks for the treat!’ together, before heading for the exit.

  “Agil-san, I’ll come again later.”

  “Thank you for the feast, the baked beans was really delicious.”

  After the reply from the shop keeper, who was busy with the nightly preparations, Shino extracted her umbrella from the whisky barr
el and pushed the door open. Karakaran, as the doorbell continued ringing, the sound of the town’s ruckus and rain wrapped her ears.

  Even though there was still time before the nightfall, due to the thick clouds, the sign of the dark night had already hung over the damp street nearby. Shino opened the umbrella, and began descending the small stairs —— she abruptly stopped her feet as she quickly moved her eyes through the surroundings.

  “Sinonon, what’s the matter……?”

  The wondering voice of Asuna came from behind. Shino came to her senses and hurriedly turned around from the street.

  “N-No, it’s nothing.”

  She gave a short laugh to hide her embarrassment. It can’t be, I felt the presence of a sniper on my nape, but it’s not possible. Maybe the habit of affirming the sniping points the moment I entered an open space had come out to the real world? by thinking so, she became slightly astonished.

  As Asuna still tilted her head, the doorbell from behind rang once again, followed by the sound of footsteps descending the stairs.

  When Kazuto, who exited the shop while putting his wallet into his bag, had come down and stood on the street, he let leak a single word along with his sigh,

  “ALICE…………”

  “What, you’re still thinking about it?”

  “No…… I recalled what I heard by chance from the staff’s conversation on Friday before Diving in STL…… A, L, I…… Arti…… Labile…… Intelligen…… hmm, what was it……”

  Shino held her umbrella over Kazuto, who was grumbling the words she couldn’t get the point, Asuna sure has a lot to worry about, as she gave a bitter smile.

  “Really, if something like that distracted you so much. Shouldn’t you just ask them the next time you go there?”

  “Well…… that’s true.”

  Kazuto shook his head two, three more times, before finally opening his umbrella.

  “See you Sinon, the next meeting we’ll talk about converting to GGO.”

  “Understood. It’s fine to meet in ALO next time. Thanks for coming out today.”

  “See you, Sinonon.”

  “See you, Asuna.”

  Kazuto and Asuna, who were going back with JR, waved their hands, Shino then started walking to the subway station in the opposite direction.

  Once more, she secretly looked over her surroundings from under the umbrella, but the sticky feeling of the glance from earlier had also disappeared without a trace like the first time.

  Interlude I

  The human temperature is a strange thing.

  Yuuki Asuna suddenly had such a thought.

  The rain had already stopped, and under that dark blue sky, with a part of the clouds dyed in orange, the two of them walked slowly while holding their hands. Beside her, Kirigaya Kazuto, who had a sullen expression ever since he had started thinking about something several minutes ago, dropped his gaze to the brick tile footpath without saying anything.

  Asuna who lived in Setagaya and Kazuto who was going back to Kawagoe, usually separated at the Shinjuku station as they had to take different trains, however today, for some reason, Kazuto said “I’ll send you near your house.” Even though he would have to take an hour longer to go back to his home from Shibuya, as Kazuto had an unusual look in his eyes, Asuna nodded obediently.

  As they got off the train at the Miyanosaka station on the Setagaya line, which was the station nearest to Asuna’s house, they were still holding hands.

  While doing this, Asuna vaguely recalled a scene. It wasn’t just sweet, but also horribly painful at the same time, so it was a memory which normally didn’t appear in her consciousness, however, it came back occasionally whenever she held Kazuto’s hands.

  It wasn’t a memory of the real world, but of the town of iron towers «Grandum» on Aincrad’s 55th floor, which no longer existed.

  At that time, Asuna had served as the sub-leader of the guild Knights of the Blood, her escort was a great sword user named Kuradeel, who accompanied her all the time. Kuradeel, who had an abnormally burning obsession with Asuna, put a paralysis poison behind the back of Kazuto/Kirito, which was the cause of Asuna’s decision to withdraw from the guild.

  Kuradeel had killed two guild members in the process; Asuna, who reached there just in time before Kirito’s life was lost, extracted her rapier with fury. Without mercy, Kuradeel’s HP gauge was reduced to a level where it could be depleted with just a final pierce, but she hesitated. Kuradeel took that chance to retaliate but as Kirito had recovered from the paralysis, he finished Kuradeel off with his bare hands.

  The two went back to the headquarters of the Knights of the Blood on the 55th floor, after informing them about her withdrawal from the guild, they held their hands while walking aimlessly in Grandum.

  While she remained calm on the surface at that time, inside Asuna’s chest, she had felt disappointed in herself because she didn’t kill Kuradeel, the sense of guilt that she made Kirito carry that heavy burden swirled around her. She wasn’t qualified to call herself a part of the clearing group, she had no right to stand beside Kirito, and as she was suffering with these feelings, she heard a voice. Just you, I want to send you back to the real world no matter what.

  At that moment, Asuna had a strong feeling, Next time I’ll protect this person with my own hands. No, not just the next time, but no matter how many times. No matter in which world.

  Asuna could vividly remembered that her hand, which felt nothing but the coldness even though they were still holding hands, at that moment, became warm as if they were sitting at the fireplace. After the floating castle collapsed, going through the world of fairies, and returning to the real world, when she held his hand, she could still recall the temperature in her palm from that time.

  Really, the human temperature is a strange thing. Even though the heat was generated from energy consumption to maintain bodily functions, but the temperature exchange by touching the palm of each other felt like it contained some information as well. As Asuna could understand what Kazuto, who had been walking in silence until now, had been hesitating to say.

  ‘Human’s soul is a light quantum contained within the microscopic structure of brain cells’ was what Kazuto had said. That light might exist not just in the brain cells, but also in every cell in the body. The quantum field, which comprised of those grains of fluctuating lights and produced the human form, had connected through their palms. Perhaps that was how the temperature could be felt.

  Asuna closed her eyelids gently, before whispering in her mind,

  ——Look, it’s alright, Kirito-kun. I will always guard your back. That’s because we’re the world’s greatest forward and backup.

  Kazuto then suddenly stopped, at the same time, Asuna also stopped moving her feet. She opened her eyes, Is it already seven? as the old-fashioned cast iron street lamp overhead emitted an orange light.

  In this evening after the rain, there was no one on the walkway aside from the two of them. Kazuto slowly turned his head, his dark pupils were fixed on Asuna.

  “Asuna……”

  As if he finally shook off his hesitation, he took a step forward——

  “……I still think about going.”

  Asuna, who understood the reason of his concern, smiled as she asked,

  “America?”

  “Yeah. I spent a year researching, I think the «Brain Implant Chip» research at the Santa Clara university is really a successor of the FullDive technology. The Brain Machine Interface is probably heading toward that direction. I really want to see it, where the next world is born.”

  Asuna looked straight into Kazuto’s pupils before giving a deep nod.

  “There were not only fun memories, but a lot of sad and painful memories too. For what purpose, where did that castle aim to go, you want to know about those, right?”

  “……I don’t think even living for several hundreds of years would be enough to understand it.”

  Kazuto made a little smile and bec
ame silent once again.

  It’s certainly difficult to say something about separation. was what Asuna guessed. Without erasing her smile, she tried to say the answer which had always kept inside of her chest warm —— however before she could do so, Kazuto made the exact same expression he did once in Aincrad, when he proposed her for marriage, as he said while stuttering,

  “That’s why…… I-I want you to go with me, Asuna. I really don’t want to live without you. I know I’m saying something unreasonable. I know that Asuna has a path Asuna wants to go. But, even so, I……”

  At that point, he cut off his words as if he was confused. Asuna made rounded eyes, then next, she let out a light laugh.

  “Eh……?”

  “S……Sorry that I laughed. But…… could it be, that was what made Kirito-kun suffer until now?”

  “Y-Yeah.”

  “Whaaat. If it’s about my answer, I had already decided it long ago.”

  Asuna then used her left hand to grab her right hand, which was still holding Kazuto’s hand. After nodding deeply again, she told him,

  “Of course, I’ll go… we’ll go together. If it’s with you, I can go anywhere.”

  As Kazuto had his eyes opened wide, he blinked many times, then a rare bright smile floated on his face. At the same time, he placed his right hand on Asuna’s shoulder.

  Asuna also used her both hands to tightly embrace Kazuto.

  As their lips touched, the coldness on their lips immediately melt away and became warm; Asuna, once again, sensed the exchange of information by the infinite amount of lights comprising each other’s souls. Even in the future, no matter in which world, no matter how long we travel, our hearts won’t be separated, I’m certain about it.

  No, our hearts were actually tied long time ago. On the sky above the collapsing Aincrad, the time it disappeared while wrapping by the rainbow aurora —— or perhaps even far before that, the moment we met deep within the dark labyrinth, as a fellow lonely solo player.